Improvement in frtuit-driers



J. ZIMMERMAN.

7 FRUIT-DRIER.

No. 192,043. mama June 1;. 15 1- v WITNESSES.-

m Wm B c- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ZIMMERMAN, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT lN FRUIT-DRIERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent Ilo. l92,043. dated June12, 1877 application filed May 12, 1877. I

To alt whom may concern:

Be it know u that I, JOHN ZIMMERMAN, of Mansfield, Riehland county,Ohio, have in vents-z. a new and improved Portable Drier and Baker for Frnit and Bread and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation with the doors open.- Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a view of the movablediaphragm. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the perforated distributing-plate.

The object of my invention is to provide a convertible fruit drier andbaker; andit consists in certain details, hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed.

In order that those skilled in the art may mnke and use my invention, Iwill proceed to described the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A is a casting forming the front and back portionsof the furnace, and B is a boiler-iron fire-box running from front torear, and provided with a door, a, for the introduction of fuel.

Rising from the casting A are four posts, b b,aronnd which is agalvanized sheet-metal cover and roof, 0, forming a drying and bakingchamber. 0n the inner side of the posts I run, from front to rear,ledges d d, on which rest the trays containing the fruit to be dried.The location of these ledges leaves a space, a, between them and thecovering of the chamber, and these spaces, one above the other, form aflue, in which there is an uninterrupted current of air.

Access is had to the drying-chamber by means of doors I) l), which areconstructed of two thickness of sheet metal, having an airspace betweenthem, forming an insulating non-conductor of heat.

On the lowest ledges I place a plate,'iil, having perforations it, whichacts as a distributor of the heated air and breaks up direct currents.

In the center of the roof is a ventilatingpipe,-E, which joins thesmoke-pipe F, which rises from the fire-box. through F creates a vacuumin E and greatly aids the draft.

' Located on each side of the furnace and on bearings 0 o in the frontand rear of the casting A are two dampers, G G, for controlling thequantity of air passing through the drier. These dampers are curvilinearin cross-sectional form, as seen in Fig. 2, and this form andarrangementis such that, when the dampers are thrown in one direction,they leave quite a space for the cold air to get into the drier, and inits passage it is thrown against the sides of the furnace.

\Vhen the device is to be used as a baker, and the dampers are closedwith their lower edges against the furnace, there is a large r".-diating surface exposed.

A movable diaphragm, N, is constructed with an iuclosedair-chamber, a,to be laid on the ledges, and thereby curtail the space in the chamberto be heated.

I construct the roof 0 of sheet metal, galvanized, in order to protectthe metal against the'injurions efi'ects of the acidulated vapor arisingfrom the drying fruit.

1 am aware that stoves provided with plates of galvanized sheet metal,arranged to retain the heat within the body of the stove, andparticularly in the oven'space, is old, and such I do not claim as myinvention; but

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire toobtain by Letters Patent, is-

1. The dampersGGof the curvilinear shape shown, in combination with thefurnace A B and drying-chamber, substantially as described.

2. In a fruit drier, the galvanized sheetmetal cover 0, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

JOHN ZIMMERMAN.

Witnesses:

JACOB HADE, JOHN W. JENNER.

The strong draft

